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By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

Let the after-ruling party begin.

Cambridge, the first city in the nation to offer same-sex marriage licenses, will celebrate tonight in front of Cambridge City Hall the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

Cambridge’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Commission and MassEquality will host the celebration Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Vice Mayor Denise Simmons is expected to speak, according to the city.

In a 5-4 decision, the court today struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The Court ruled the law was unconstitutional under the equal protection clause, and the decision opens the doors for married gay couples to be eligible for federal benefits.